Detective and mystery stories, English; Private investigators -- Fiction
Cater and Flint, greatly abashed, exchanged a rapid glance. Then Cater,
with a preliminary cough, said hesitatingly, "Well now, Mr. Lugg, let
us consider this. It seems quite evident to me--and no doubt it will
to you, as my cousin's solicitor--it seems quite evident to me that
my poor uncle could not have been in a sound state of mind when he
made this very ridiculous will. Quite apart from all questions of
genuineness, I've no doubt that a court would set it aside. And in
view of that it would be very cruel to allow this poor man Sinclair
to suppose himself to be entitled to a great deal of money, only to
find himself disappointed and ruined after all. You'll agree with
that, I'm sure. So I think it will be best for all parties if we keep
this thing to ourselves, and just tear out that fly-leaf and burn it,
to save trouble. And on my part I shall be glad to admit the copy of
the codicil you have produced, and no doubt my cousin and I will be
prepared to pay you a fee which will compensate you for any loss of
business in actions--eh?"
Mr. Lugg was tempted, but he was no fool. Here was Samuel Greer at
his elbow knowing everything, and without a doubt, no matter how well
bribed, always ready to make more money by betraying the arrangement
to Sinclair. And that would mean inevitable ruin to Lugg himself, and
probably a dose of gaol. So he shook his head virtuously and said,
"I couldn't think of anything of the sort, Mr. Cater, not for an
instant. I am a solicitor, and I have my strict duties. It is my duty
immediately to place this will in the hands of Mr. Henry Sinclair, as
sole executor. I wish you a good-day, gentlemen."
And so it was that old Jerry Cater's money came at last to Sinclair.
And the result was a joyful one, not only for Sinclair and his wife,
but also for a number of poor debtors whose "paper" was part of the
property. For Sinclair knew the plight of these wretches by personal
experience, and was merciful, as neither Flint nor Paul Cater would
have been. The two witnesses to the Bible will turned out to be
bargemen. They had been mightily surprised to be hailed from Jerry
Cater's window by the old man himself, already looking like a corpse.
They had come up, however, at his request, and had witnessed the will,
though neither knew anything of its contents. But they were ready to
testify that it was written in a Bible, that they saw Cater sign it,
and that the attesting signatures were theirs. They had helped the old
man back into bed, and next day they heard that he was dead.
As for Dorrington, he had a thousand pounds to set him up in a
gentlemanly line of business and villainy. Ignorant of what had
happened, he attempted to tap Flint for another thousand pounds as he
had designed, but was met with revilings and an explanation. Seeing
that the game was finished, Dorrington laughed at both the cousins and
turned his attention to his next case.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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